Just wondering what you think of this gelding? He is 8yrs old, just finished racing due to a leg injury (not specified, but it looks like the hair on his off side forleg has been clipped on the tendon area - so possibly a tendon/ligament injury???)
They state that he needs to be spelled for 3-6 months, and are asking $700 for him. This is in Australia by the way.

apachewhitesox

10-30-2011 11:47 PM

I would definitely ask what exactly the injury is. Also what do you want him for? I think I would pass anyway because there are more horses out there for less that haven't had injuries like that.

Saddlebag

10-30-2011 11:57 PM

Talk to your vet if you can't talk to theirs to get the low down on the injury. He's worth next to nothing if a 6 month layup is involved. Their costs at the race track are so high they likely aren't able to keep him. He's done as a race horse. Are you experienced with retraining OTTB's. Most are off the track and sold as 2 yr olds. If he was racing as an 8 yr old he could be a real handful. Heaven only knows what sets these horses off and they are back at the track and running their race. I saw this happen at a horseshow in a hack class.

Saddlebag

10-31-2011 12:01 AM

Got this info for you as I suspect this is what has been done.

Pin firing is a therapy that uses a small, red-hot probe to cause cauterization (burning) of tissue in horses with chronic injuries to produce an abundant, serous inflammatory process. As opposed to other inflammation processes such as infections or bruising, serum has little or no fibrin (clotting material) or cellular content and does not coagulate. Firing causes maximal exudation, or oozing, and minimal tissue degeneration. The flooding of serum seems to flush out any chronic irritation, and it does not displace old scar tissue. Firing is done more often in racehorses than in other performance horses, and has been used for more than a century in conditions of recurring injuries such as a splint, curb, or chronic bowed tendon. The process is performed under sedation and local anesthesia, and the pain inflicted is fairly short-lived and usually well-tolerated by the patient.